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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mug — a cup
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. swing — music
  7. content — the amount
  8. ground — a position
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. kid — to tease
  12. content — happy
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. press — a publisher
  17. kid — child
  18. mug — to rob
  19. press — newspapers
  20. swing — in golf
  21. press — to push
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mug — a face

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com